I'm not a fan of the bone-hard standard seat on my Giant CoMax 1 and I found the gel seat covers to provide a minimal improvement as the gel is too soft and can flatten out too much in the very flexible cover. So, I decided to get the Planet Bike 2019, 2020 and A.R.S. seats and compare them. First, some background: My bike is a road bike (Giant claims it's a hybrid). I ride paved trails or paved roads, generally less than 15 miles at a time. So, I am not an intense rider. First, I tried the 5019. This is a wide seat, shaped generally like the ones on the heavy steel 1 - 3 speed bikes of old. The kind with springs underneath the rear. That's not to say it is heavy or looks old. It is heavier than the original seat on my bike, and the other two, but not hugely so for the type of riding I do. The seat definitely made a positive impact in terms of taking the harshness out of bumps. A definite improvement over gel pads. However, in my case, it just moved the pressure from my backside to my inner thighs. Or, maybe I just noticed the pain in my inner thighs after my backside pain was taken care of. In any case, I still wasn't comfortable. Plus, this seat does make by otherwise hi-tech bike look kind of dorky. And, if that didn't matter, people wouldn't be buying $100+ Oakleys. So, the main reason I bought both the 5020 and A.R.S. seats is because nobody answered my question about the the difference between the two. Both of these seats are approximately the same size and shape as the seat that came on my bike, save for the extra thickness due to the gel padding. The 5020 is vinyl covered. It has the open slit running down the middle, running all the way to the tip of the seat. It has 2 slight mounts of thicker gel on the sit-bone area, as well as a lesser amount of gel wherever there are pressure points. This seat is a great improvement. The gel is confined and, therefore, it does not move or flatten out. It provides a noticeable amount of comfort improvement. The channel prevents moving pressure from the sit bone to the more sensitive parts up front. Unlike the 5020, it does not cause more pressure on my thighs and looks like it belongs on the bike. My only negative comment is that I don't particularly like the silver colored inlay surrounding the slit, especially since my bike is black and red, with no other silver. My Giant gel seat pad fit over this seat perfectly, suggesting this seat is not much bigger or bulkier than the original seat, despite the gel padding. Unlike the 2019 seat, this one looks like it belongs on the bike. Finally, I tried the Planet Bike A.R.S. seat. This seat is very much like the 5020, with the following differences: Rather than vinyl, the seat area is material, like micro fiber or car seat type cloth. Although I didn't try it, it seems to me it would absorb water and stay wet for a while, whereas the 2019 could just be wiped off. The second noticeable difference is that the slit does not go all the way to the point. I think this make a big difference in how it felt. While still an improvement over the standard seat, with or without a gel pad, it did not provide the comfort up front that the 5019 does. Otherwise, the 5019 and A.R.S. are very similar, except the A.R.S. is all black, the only + I give it over the 5019. Bottom line: the 5019 is my choice. Now, only if it came in solid black.
